CROSS. An honourable ordinary, more used as a charge in a coat of arms than any of the others. During the Crusades for the recovery of the Holy Land, the troops of the different nations that joined in the Crusade displayed crosses on their banners and arms: every soldier bore a cross upon his dress; this was composed of two pieces of list or riband of equal length, crossing each other at right angles. The soldiers of France attached their national emblem, the fleur-de-lis, to the ends of the members of the cross; hence the introduction of the cross flory. The Crusaders from the Papal dominions placed transverse pieces on each member of the plain cross, and by this means transformed it into four small crosses springing from a centre, forming what is now called the cross-crosslet. It would be impossible within the limits of this work to give an example of all the crosses that have been introduced as bearings in coats of arms. Berry, in his comprehensive work on Heraldry, gives nearly two hundred examples, without giving all that might be found. The following are the crosses most used in English Heraldry. [Illustration: Cross] Cross [Illustration: Cross potent] Cross potent [Illustration: Cross flory] Cross flory [Illustration: Cross crosslet] Cross crosslet [Illustration: Cross bottonny] Cross bottonny [Illustration: Cross pattee] Cross pattee [Illustration: Cross raguly] Cross raguly [Illustration: Cross patonce] Cross patonce [Illustration: Cross moline] Cross moline [Illustration: Cross quadrate] Cross quadrate [Illustration: Cross quarter-pierced] Cross quarter-pierced [Illustration: Cross of Calvary] Cross of Calvary [Illustration: Cross fitchy] Cross fitchy [Illustration: Cross patriarchal] Cross patriarchal [Illustration: Cross potent rebated] Cross potent rebated CURTANA. The pointless sword of mercy is the principal in dignity of the three swords that are borne naked before the British monarchs at their coronation. [Illustration: Curtana] CROWN AND CORONETS. [Illustration: Crown, king of England] The crown of the king of England. [Illustration: Coronet, prince of Wales] Coronet of the prince of Wales [Illustration: Coronet, princess of England] Of a princess of England [Illustration: Coronet, marquis] Of a marquis [Illustration: Coronet, royal duke] Of a royal duke [Illustration: Coronet, earl] Of an earl [Illustration: Coronet, duke] Of a duke [Illustration: Coronet, viscount] Of a viscount [Illustration: Coronet, baron] Coronet of a baron DANCETTE. A zig-zag figure with spaces between the points, much larger than in the indented. [Illustration: Dancette] Ex. Argent, a pale, dancette vert. DEBRUISED. Any animal that has an ordinary placed upon it is said to be debruised. [Illustration: Debruised] Ex. Argent, a lion rampant guardant gules, debruised by a fess azure. DECRESSANT, or DECRESCENT. A moon in its wane, whose horns are turned to the sinister side of the escutcheon.